Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

The Provincial Party Committee compound in Handong.

The provincial party secretary's office was brightly lit. The ashtray was piled high with extinguished cigarette butts.

There was a rapid knocking on the office door.

Chen Huai, the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee, walked in carrying a cup of freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea.

Chen Huai's face flushed crimson. He took long strides, radiating an undisguised excitement and fervor.

He placed the teacup steadily on the table and rubbed it vigorously with both hands.

"Secretary Zhao! This is wonderful news! Absolutely wonderful news!"

Zhao Lichun's eyelids twitched violently twice. He leaned back in his chair, trying to hide his inner turmoil.

Chen Huai took a half-step closer, deliberately lowering his voice.

"People from Kyoto have arrived! It's a special investigation team from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. They're led by Director Zhong Xiaoai!"

"Just now, all the sentries, both overt and covert, of the provincial military district were withdrawn. Shen Zhong has been disarmed by the higher-ups!"

Zhao Lichun stood there, stunned. He didn't react for a long time.

Zhong Xiaoai? The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection?

Chen Huai gave a thumbs up. His face was all wrinkled up, full of flattery.

"You are truly brilliant! It turns out that your previous inaction was a grand scheme you were orchestrating in Kyoto! Your swift and decisive actions are absolutely brilliant!"

"Everyone in Handong thought our Zhao family gang was finished. Who would have thought you'd directly get through to the highest levels! The higher-ups are finally taking action against the military. Shen Zhong has been arrogant in Handong for so long. This time, the special task force has come down with an imperial edict; Shen Zhong's good days are truly over!"

Chen Huai's flattery was deafening. The whole room was filled with his obsequious words.

Zhao Lichun's mind raced. He hadn't played any grand schemes in Kyoto. After Su Zhenhai was taken away by Old Xu, he'd been like a headless fly, living in constant fear and anxiety, waiting to die.

But at this critical juncture, we absolutely cannot show weakness.

If people's hearts are scattered, the team will become completely unmanageable.

Zhao Lichun picked up his teacup. He blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water. The rim of the cup touched his lower lip. He forced himself to maintain his composure.

"Some things are better left unsaid; don't spread them around. It can have a negative impact."

These ambiguous words only solidified Chen Huai's suspicions. He nodded repeatedly, bending at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Got it! I understand perfectly! It's all about secrecy. Shouldn't we make arrangements right away to properly welcome the task force?"

Zhao Lichun put down his teacup, regaining some of the imposing presence he once held as the top figure in Handong.

"Have your subordinates prepare. Since the higher-ups are going to take such a heavy responsibility, we at the local level must fully cooperate. Submit all the necessary materials. We absolutely cannot allow any obstacles to the work of the special investigation team."

Chen Huai responded loudly and ran out happily to deliver the instructions.

The office door closed. Only Zhao Lichun remained.

He exhaled a long, stale breath. Regardless of who Zhong Xiaoai was after, as long as the target was Shen Zhong, and as long as the military, that tiger, could be subdued, Chen Qingquan and the Shanshui Group's messy accounts could be covered up. Zhao Ruilong could then smoothly transfer the money abroad.

In this hand, Zhao Lichun actually came back to life.

Office building of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Handong Province.

The black Hongqi sedan came to a smooth stop at the bottom of the steps. The car door opened.

Zhong Xiaoai walked briskly up the steps in her high heels. Behind her followed closely four plainclothes police officers from the special task force, all wearing black jackets.

The entire building was quiet. The motion-sensor lights in the corridor turned on one by one as they walked.

At the far end of the second floor, the light in Gao Yuliang's office was still on.

Without any intention of knocking, the task force members pushed open the double solid wood door.

Gao Yuliang sat behind his large desk, wearing reading glasses. He was holding a red and blue pencil and looking at an internal reference document. Beside him was his ever-present thermos.

Upon seeing the group of uninvited guests who had barged in, Gao Yuliang put down his pencil and took off his glasses.

This cunning old fox showed absolutely no surprise. He didn't even change his sitting posture.

Zhong Xiaoai stepped forward, took out the signed investigation warrant from her briefcase, and slammed it onto the table in front of Gao Yuliang.

"Professor Gao," Zhong Xiaoai said in an extremely condescending tone. "The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's special investigation team needs the assistance of the Handong Political and Legal Affairs Commission."

Gao Yuliang slowly picked up the warrant for assistance in the investigation. He glanced at the official seal on it, then casually pushed it aside.

"Xiao Ai, bringing so many people here in the middle of the night. And you're so angry. Sit down and have a cup of hot tea?"

Zhong Xiaoai didn't take this deputy secretary of the provincial party committee seriously at all. She directly tore open the kraft paper envelope and poured all the materials inside onto the table.

"No time for tea, Secretary Gao. Let's get straight to the point."

"This is irrefutable evidence that Major General Shen Zhong of the Handong Military Region is suspected of massive corruption, abuse of power, and violent interference in the restructuring of local private enterprises' assets. It contains detailed records of money laundering by the Shanshui Group, as well as information on his hidden offshore accounts."

Gao Yuliang's eyelids drooped slightly. His gaze fell on the scattered documents. He didn't reach out to pick them up.

"Now, I order you to immediately mobilize all the elite forces of the Handong Provincial Public Security Bureau and the Provincial Procuratorate to cooperate with the task force. Surround the Provincial Military Region compound and prepare to arrest Shen Zhong." Zhong Xiaoai's order was extremely firm.

In her view, these local law enforcement officials are merely tools to deal with the military's brutes. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has spoken, and local authorities must comply unconditionally.

Gao Yuliang reached out and picked up a few sheets of paper. He flipped through them casually.

Financial statements. Offshore account password. Signature on forced demolition order.

Each item is written in extreme detail. The logical loop is practically perfect.

Gao Yuliang sneered inwardly. Had Zhong Xiaoai been spoiled rotten in Beijing for too long? Was her brain just filled with mush?

These materials are so realistic. So realistic that they're utterly foolish.

What rank is Shen Zhong? He's a major general with real power, holding top-level classified authority. He's a ruthless warlord who has distinguished himself in battles on the northwestern border and can directly mobilize armed forces to forcibly take over territories.

A person of this caliber, if they really wanted to make money, would they need to use such a low-level method as leaving traces through overseas accounts? Would they need to leave some ridiculous signed instructions for a third-rate shell company?

This meager amount of money is so paltry. Even Gao Yuliang, let alone Shen Zhong, would find it shabby.

This is clearly a trap. A trap deliberately set to lure this mad bull of the capital into stepping on a landmine.

It's laughable that Zhong Xiaoai, that stupid woman, is actually so smug. She treats this thing as her trump card to defeat Shen Zhong, and comes here to show off.

Gao Yuliang neatly stacked the materials and pushed them back in front of Zhong Xiaoai.

"Director Xiao Ai." Gao Yuliang picked up the thermos, unscrewed the lid, and blew on the steam rising from it.

"I've reviewed the materials. They are indeed very well prepared. The chain of evidence is complete."

Zhong Xiaoai slightly raised her chin, her face full of arrogance.

"Since the evidence is solid, let's not waste any more time. Immediately order the troop deployment. Shen Zhong is already so frightened that he has withdrawn his troops to defend. Now is the perfect time to catch him off guard."

Gao Yuliang took a sip of tea and placed the thermos back on the table with a crisp clinking sound.

"Transferring people? What kind of people does Director Xiao Ai want me to transfer?" Gao Yuliang crossed his arms over his stomach and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm just a local political and legal affairs secretary. You want me to order the mobilization of police and prosecutors to surround a heavily armed military region?"

Gao Yuliang's face suddenly darkened. The old fox's sharpness was fully revealed.

"Director Xiao Ai. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) has its own rules for handling cases. Local authorities have their own rules for handling cases. And the military has its own independent oversight system that is never broken."

"You want to use our police officers from the Handong political and legal system as shields and cannon fodder for you? I, Gao Yuliang, cannot bear this huge burden of damaging military-civilian relations. I dare not bear it."